Instructors :: Chris Landreth (Maya Master 2001)

Oscar® Winner for Best Short Film (Animated)
77th Annual Academy Awards
Hollywood, California, USA, February 27, 2005

Chris Landreth received his MS degree in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics from the University of Illinois in 1986. For three years, he worked in experimental research in fluid mechanics at the University of Illinois, until he made the transition into the netherworlds of computer animation.

In 1994, Chris joined Alias Inc., where it was his job to define, test and abuse animation software, in-house before it was released to the public. In addition to well-mannered software (namely the animation software Maya), this resulted in the production of animated short films including Bingo and the end (which was nominated for an Academy Award in 1996 for Best Animated Short Film).

Chris's latest film, Ryan, looks at the life and career of Canadian animator Ryan Larkin, a one-time Oscar nominee who today panhandles for spare change in Montreal Canada. Ryan pushes the boundaries of photo realism and the animation and documentary genres into a world that Chris describes as " psycho-realism".

Ryan has been embraced by the world of animation in an unprecedented way. It has received the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film and over 60 other international awards, including three prizes at the Cannes Film Festival, Special Jury Prize at Siggraph 2004 and Grand Prize at the 2004 Ottawa International Animation Festival.

FILMOGRAPHY

Director:

• Ryan, 2004
• Bingo, 1998
• the end, 1995
• Franz K., 1993
• The Listener, 1991